United States

The United States is home to more gig platforms than any other country, with apps for ride-hailing, food delivery, dog walking, babysitting, warehouse work, haircuts, car washes, tutoring, snow plowing, and more. Some of the first and largest gig platforms, including Uber, were founded in the US. According to the Pew Research Center, in 2021 over 16 percent of American adults reported earning money through online gig platforms. Global events such as the pandemic, inflation, and the “Great Resignation” are only accelerating this trend.

Fairwork is excited to announce its first year of scoring in the US. Over the next year, Fairwork US will conduct the first ratings of working conditions on US platforms. The rating process, happening in more than thirty countries around the world, compares the working conditions provided by platforms against the Fairwork Principles. We will be doing research in major cities such as New York, Detroit, Dallas, and Atlanta and working closely with partners across the US.

Fairwork US will be led by Professor of Law Veena Dubal, and postdoctoral fellow Mishal Khan, both based at the University of California’s Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco. The US team will work closely with the Oxford-based Fairwork team, as well as with our international network of partners. This partnership presents an opportunity to support the efforts of the millions of US-based gig workers in fighting for better conditions and a fairer gig economy.

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